The invention relates to a copy-guiding device for flat copies in folders, the copies being severed by cutting devices in the folders from single-layer or multi-layer material webs, and folded.
The published European Patent Document EP 0 400 596 A3 is concerned with a cutting device for a folder in a rotary printing machine. The cutting device includes two cooperating cutting cylinders for a material web which runs vertically into the pair of cutting cylinders, and transport tape lines arranged downline from the cutting cylinders, as viewed in a travel direction of copies through the folder. The transport tape lines run over deflection rollers and guide the cut-off products therebetween. In order to provide a guide for an exact entry of the products between the transport tape lines, blowing or blast nozzles directed into the cutting nip between the web and the cutting cylinder are provided on both sides of the incoming web, and cutting cylinders with grooves for passage of the blown air are provided parallel to the web.
In another construction, there is provided a device for guiding signatures, in particular in the vicinity of an outlet wedge of a cutting cylinder arrangement in a folder disposed downline from a rotary printing machine, as viewed in the copy travel direction. According to this construction, one or more guide tapes extending at least approximately transversely to the transport direction of the signatures are arranged close to the transport path of the signatures and define guide surfaces limiting the transport path of the signatures.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,365 and French Patent 2 751 630 disclose a copy guide for a folder having a pair of cutting cylinders with a cutting nip therebetween wherein individual flat copies are severed from a continuously supplied material web. Downwardly extending transport tapes are guided over deflection rollers for the purpose of onwardly conveying the severed, individual folded copies. Assigned to the cutting cylinders of the cutting-cylinder pair is a product guiding unit which extends at least partly over the width of the material web to be processed. The open space or clearance extending from the cutting nip to the inlet nip and into transport tapes disposed downline from the cutting cylinders is bridged by the stationary product guiding unit arranged underneath the cutting-cylinder wedge.
A disadvantage of a stationary copy guide lies primarily in that the adaptability thereof to changing production parameters, such as a greater paper thickness or a greater number of streams within a material web, and also web widths to be processed flexibly, are achievable only with considerable difficulty, because the fixedly mounted copy guide has to be shifted manually. This, firstly, requires an expenditure of set-up time and, secondly, necessitates production outages or shut-downs in the rotary system. It has been shown that a permanently predefined guide, at least approximately configured as a stationary former, only inadequately takes variable production requirements into account.
In view of the inadequate remedies suggested heretofore in the prior art, and the technical problem indicated, it is an object of the invention to provide a product guide for flat copies in a folder, which is adjustable based upon the width of the material being processed and, beginning at a specific speed level, is automatically movable into an outlet wedge located downline from a cutting-cylinder pair, as viewed in a travel or conveying direction of the copies.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, a device for guiding copies severed from a material web in a folder by a cutting-cylinder pair, comprising revolving transport tapes for picking up the copies after they have passed through a copy guide arranged in an outlet wedge of the cutting-cylinder pair, the copy guide extending at least partly over the width of the material web, and being formed of copy guide sections which are automatically adjustable, both with respect to the width of the copies to be guided and with respect to a passage cross section for the copies to be guided.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the copy guide sections of the copy guide have, at an end thereof facing towards an outlet wedge of the cutting-cylinder pair, a greater cross section than at an exit from the copy guide sections, which is located opposite an inlet nip of the transport tapes.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the copy guide sections are disposed in the shape of a funnel extending in a copy-conveying direction.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the copy guide sections are disposed so as to be movable on the guide elements.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the device includes a shaft mounting, and spring elements supported on the shaft mounting, the guide elements being prestressed on guide rods by the spring elements.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, inner surfaces formed on the copy guide sections are movable between a first nip width and a second nip width.
In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, the copy guide sections are formed with inner surfaces, and include a friction-reducing coating provided on the inner surfaces, respectively.
In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, the copy guide sections are formed with rounded inlet edges on a side thereof disposed opposite the outlet wedge of the cutting-cylinder pair.
In accordance with yet an additional feature of the invention, the copy guide sections are movable between a first position and a second position in the outlet wedge, perpendicularly to a conveying direction of the copies.
In accordance with still another feature of the invention, the device of the invention includes toothed sections and formlocking drives interacting therewith for moving the copy guide sections perpendicularly to a conveying direction of the copies. In this regard, it is noted that a formlocking connection is one which connects two elements together due to the shape of the elements themselves, as opposed to a force-locking connection, which locks the elements together by force external to the elements.
In accordance with still a further feature of the invention, the device of the invention includes a mounting for accommodating the drives, and an actuator for setting the mounting so that the copy guide sections are located in a rest position outside a conveying plane of the copies.
In accordance with still an added feature of the invention, the copy guide sections are automatically transferrable from the first position thereof into the second position thereof at production speeds above 35,000 copies per hour.
In accordance with still an additional feature of the invention, the first position is attained at production speeds of  less than 35,000 copies per hour.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a folder having a device for guiding copies severed from a material web by a cutting-cylinder pair, comprising revolving transport tapes for picking up the copies after they have passed through a copy guide arranged in an outlet wedge of the cutting-cylinder pair, the copy guide extending at least partly over the width of the material web, and being formed of copy guide sections which are automatically adjustable, both with respect to the width of the copies to be guided and with respect to a passage cross section for the copies to be guided.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a folder for pinless processing of copies, having a device for guiding copies severed from a material web by a cutting-cylinder pair, comprising revolving transport tapes for picking up the copies after they have passed through a copy guide arranged in an outlet wedge of the cutting-cylinder pair, the copy guide extending at least partly over the width of the material web, and being formed of copy guide sections which are automatically adjustable, both with respect to the width of the copies to be guided and with respect to a passage cross section for the copies to be guided.
In accordance with a concomitant aspect of the invention, there is provided a web-processing rotary printing machine having at least one folder with at least one device for guiding copies severed from a material web by a cutting-cylinder pair, comprising revolving transport tapes for picking up the copies after they have passed through a copy guide arranged in an outlet wedge of the cutting-cylinder pair, the copy guide extending at least partly over the width of the material web, and being formed of copy guide sections which are automatically adjustable, both with respect to the width of the copies to be guided and with respect to a passage cross section for the copies to be guided.
The advantages which can be achieved by the construction according to the invention are primarily in that assurance is now offered that, at production speeds below a specific predefinable speed threshold, the copy guide does not impair the passage of copies through the outlet wedge of a cutting cylinder arrangement, while at the production speed exceeding the predefinable speed threshold, assurance is offered, in the pinless operating folder, that the copy guide sections are automatically set into position based upon the web width. Furthermore, the relative mobility of the copy guide sections perpendicular to the conveying plane of the copies ensures that the gap or nip geometry is adapted to the production conditions, i.e., the number of copy thicknesses, at least approximately determined by the number of web streams which are contained in a material web.
The embodiment proposed according to the invention advantageously permits the copy transfer through an outlet wedge disposed downline from a cutting-cylinder pair to be produced in acceleration tapes, such as are provided in pinless folders. According to an advantageous refinement of the idea upon which the invention is based, the copy guide sections of the movable copy guide are provided at the end facing the outlet wedge of the cutting-cylinder arrangement with a greater cross-sectional area, as compared with that at the exit at the end opposite to the inlet nip of the transport tapes. As a result, it is possible to take into account that the circumstance wherein the copies that have left the ideal, strictly vertical conveying plane pass through the copy guide sections and, therefore, extend or run reliably into the inlet nip formed between the acceleration tapes.
The copy guide sections can particularly advantageously be set against one another in the shape of a funnel, with reference to the copy conveying plane.
According to an extremely advantageous development of the concept upon which the invention is based, the copy guide sections are fitted so that they are movable on guide elements. The guide elements can be formed on one side as guide rods, whereon spring elements are accommodated, which are supported with one end on the copy guide section and, at the opposite end thereof, rest on a shaft bearing wherein the guide element is held.
The inner surfaces which are formed on the copy guide sections and which, respectively, lie opposite the front and rear of the copy severed from the material web in the cutting cylinder nip can advantageously be provided with a coating that reduces the friction. Thus, in the event of contact between the freshly printed copy and the inner surfaces of the copy guide sections, assurance is provided that no deposition of ink occurs thereat, and that the products do not deposit ink on the inner surfaces and pick it up from the latter in the event of contact.
In order to take into better account the inlet characteristics of the copies severed from a single-layer or multi-layer material web, the copy guide sections can be formed with rounded inlet edges in the vicinity of the entry or inlet nip.
In order to adapt the position of the copy guide sections in the outlet wedge of a cutting-cylinder pair perpendicularly to the conveying direction of the copies, the copy guide sections can be moved between a first position and a second position. The first position advantageously corresponds to a minimum processible web width, while the second setting position of the copy guide sections corresponds to a maximum processible material web width. This is similarly true of the copies severed from the various web widths and the intermediate format graduations thereof, and to be folded in the folder. The inward movement of the copy guide sections in the outlet wedge disposed downline from a cutting-cylinder pair is preferably performed by toothed sections and formlocking drives cooperating or interacting with the latter, such as electric drives; in addition, spindle drives may also readily be used.
Due to the drives, whether they are electromotive, pneumatic or hydraulic, the position of the copy guide sections can be adjusted between a first and a second position; furthermore, provision can be made to move, as a whole, the drive of the copy guide sections, which moves the latter into the first and into the second position, in such a way that, below a specific predefinable speed threshold, the copy guide sections may moreover be put into a rest position outside the web running plane and, therefore, the copy running plane, underneath the cutting nip of the cutting cylinder arrangement. In this rest position, which can be selected for example at speeds below 35,000 copies per hour, the copy guide sections which can be moved perpendicularly to the web running or conveying plane are put into an inactive position and have no effect upon the copy transport taking place in the folder in the outlet wedge of a cutting-cylinder pair.
The improvement proposed in accordance with the invention of a copy-guiding device that can be adjusted automatically based upon the material web width to be processed, and also the adaptability thereof in relation to the free passage area depending upon the width or thickness of the severed folded copy, may be employed particularly advantageously in combination with the automatic triggering of the adjustment when the speed in folders exceeds or falls below a production speed threshold. The construction proposed by the invention can be used, in particular, in pinless folders, wherein the folded copies severed from the material web in the cutting nip run into acceleration tapes disposed downline from the outlet wedge. The folders equipped with a copy-guiding device configured in such a way are preferably in web-processing rotary printing machines, whether they are used for newspaper printing or for jobbing web-fed printing.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a copy-guiding device for flat copies in folders, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.